Let The Weather Chat Commence

As this horrendous weather hits, as we wait in anticipation for these 80mph winds to do their worst thrashing us around here there and everywhere, it really it seems only appropriate (I am British after all) to have a wee discussion about the weather.

There is little more ridiculous to us Brits than the consideration of a human being actually existing that has never had a conversation about the weather because quite honestly what else would they talk about?! So yes it is clear the weather over powers our social situations, it is the definition of small talk and the epitome of being British to put it frankly because it defines us, that and fish and chips obviously. We complain if it’s sunny because we are just far too sweaty but god forbid if it rains, the country is packed full of miserable drowned rats screeching about how much they want a cup of tea and their onesie on.

So the question I raise here is whether the weather effects our emotions?

Are we just miserable individuals that just enjoy a good whine and take up any excuse to do so or is there more to it? Does that rainbow delight us because of the far of possibility that maybe we could get a cheeky pot of gold to pay for that up and coming holiday or is there another explanation?

So here we go queue the technical stuff, there is actually a disorder; Seasonal Affective Disorder otherwise known ironically as (SAD) as it is the clinical terminology for individuals who suffer with a bad case of the winter blues. The symptoms include; depression, excessive eating and sleeping.

However as much as this may sound like an apt description of your fine self in the colder months, most of us do not suffer from the disorder and are in no way powerless to the emotions the weather distills in them.

An actual professor ;Ani Kalayjian, Ed.D., R.N., professor of psychology at Fordham University in New York has spoken out on the issue and expressed a societal need to fight against the emotions the weather can force upon us, no word of a lie. Yes that is right the professor has declared "We encourage people to take charge of their feelings," and her diagnosis; "Do things that make you feel good, like listening to uplifting music or reading a good novel. Look at pictures from a vacation—and if you can, take a vacation to a warm place."

So there you go if you’re ever feeling a little down as you’re trekking into university with 50 layers on and squelching along in your overly damp shoes, remember the words of this professor, take charge of your feelings guys! And remember a professor has advised you to take a vacation to a warm place, definitely legitimate.

Similarly it has been found that the worst days for teachers to teach on are not own clothes days or around the festive periods but instead on days of recorded high winds because it is supposed to create hyper activity in children.

So maybe the weather is a more interesting topic than we give ourselves credit for? But then again Mr Oscar Wilde would beg to differ ‘A Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.’